Violent tornado strikes Taranto, Italy

A large, powerful tornado hit the town of Taranto, Italy earlier today.

Video of the twister is impressive, showing a wide, intense vortex (a “wedge” tornado) - more characteristic of the Midwest or southern U.S. - carving a destructive path through the southeast Italian town. You can spot multiple vortices inside the tornado at times as well as exploding transformers.

“The tornado rolled off the sea and hit the port city of Taranto, bringing down a chimney stack and damaging a warehouse and lighthouse at the factory’s docks, the [steel] company said in a statement,” Reuters reports.

This same plant is under investigation for corruption Reuters said.

Weather maps show a strong area of low pressure at high altitudes in northern Italy driving strong westerly winds across the southern part of the country. Meanwhile, at the ground, winds were blowing from the south ahead of the storm. Tarranto is noted by the asterisk in the above images. (WeatherBell.com)

The tornado was triggered by an intense storm system centered west of Italy in the northern Mediterranean that caused strong turning of the winds with height in the region. Taranto’s winds at surface were from the warm southerly direction while colder winds were blowing in from the west at higher altitudes. The resulting instability and wind shear created a volatile environment favorable for severe storms.

Jason Samenow is The Washington Post’s weather editor and Capital Weather Gang's chief meteorologist. He earned a master's degree in atmospheric science and spent 10 years as a climate change science analyst for the U.S. government. He holds the Digital Seal of Approval from the National Weather Association.